isola tiberina

The light was amazing on the Tiber Island the other day.
Visit the link for more thumbnails of Sunday Bridges and Watery Wednesdays

tevere

The Tiber river in autumn.
When many thoughts crowd my head, chores pile up, and the days seem too short for the million things I need to take care of, I walk by the river and put everything back into perspective.
See how small my shadow is on the bridge?

More Weekend Reflections HERE. 
More Sunday Bridges HERE.

ferragosto

This above was taken a week ago in the pool at the Villa Rucellai where we're enjoying our vacation. The photo has become old, a memory of the past... because my child has won his fear of swimming without water wings!

Now he is a little fish. And even big green "coccodrilli" don't scare him anymore.
He blissfully jumps off the edge into my arms, smiling, trusting and exhilarated.

Buon Ferragosto!

seduti

I missed posting for Theme Day yesterday,  because I totally forgot it was July 1st. I however posted Green doors on my other blog a few days ago, totally unaware that 'green' was going to be the July theme. I must be some sort of psychic...

Today I spent the morning in the park, relaxing under the shade provided by umbrella pines and European sycamores. Here are some images of others doing the same.

acqua

Water is a common good. In Italy it's a precious public resource. There will soon be a referendum here to vote against (or to ratify) the privatization process of public water. With this post I wish to remind all Italian citizens how important our acqua is, and encourage them to vote at the coming May 12-13 election.

{welcome to my son's swimming class, today's his last day}

{here is the indoor training pool ~ kiddies in the far one ~ seen from the upper floor café}

 {this is where we like to relax and soak some rays after the lesson is over. 

My little swimmer always enjoys a gelato here}

{no more waterwings for him}

via veneto

 In the rain la dolce vita is not as sweet

ponte cavour

magic hour on the bridge

For more photos of bridges spanning across the globe, 

please visit in the Sunday Bridge Series meme 

hosted at San Francisco Bay Daily Photo

Buona Pasqua!

innamorati

Lovers' locks

There's a recent custom among young lovers. Fastening padlocks to a chain in a public place near water, like a bridge or a lake as a romantic symbol of solidity, which seals a promise of love made between two people. The ritual involves the couple locking the padlock to a lamppost or a chain, and then throwing the key into the water. There are places around Rome where thousands of locks are clustered together. But as you can see, in this romantic place, the practice has only just begun.








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dettagli

A papal miter... keys... a fierce looking dolphin... 

which Roman fountain do these elements belong to?

...more hints...

The fountain and obelisk "della Rotonda," in front of the Pantheon, right!

fontana dei cavalli marini

Circles and sea horses

How many fountains are there in Rome? A million dollar-question. No other city in the world, I believe, can compete in number of fountains with the Eternal City. Percy Bysshe Shelley–(1792–1822) English poet, and leading figure of the romantic movement famed for his radical political views–observed that, "The fountains alone justify a journey to Rome."
Water and the myriad fountains from which it spills are part of Rome's artistic and cultural heritage and have always been one of the city's prominent characteristics.

The Fontana dei Cavalli Marini, 'fountain of the sea horses,' was designed in 1791 by Cristoforo Unterberger, some say built by Luigi Salimei, others by Vincenzo Pacetti.
It stands in the middle of a round plaza, surrounded by trees and a pedestrian walkway at the Via Pinciana main entrance of Villa Borghese.

My son likes to throw pebbles in the fountain's wide basin, and watch the sun play with the circular ripples in the water.

For more Watery Wednesday images from around the world, click here.

anatre

Female mallards gossipping

The surface of the pond looks oleaginous, yet very reflective. I played with desaturation here, but the monochrome hues of the birds helped to obtain this aged look.

For more watery pictures from around the world, please visit Watery Wednesday

fango

reflections in the mud

It has been raining so much that the river Tiber has reached alert levels. When the water exceeds the containing walls, substantial areas of the city become vulnerable to the river's occasional transgressions.
Last year around the holiday season, Rome feared the Tiber would burst its banks after days of rain and thunderstorms. The mayor declared a state of emergency after severe storms flooded underpasses, disrupted train and flight services and killed one person.
Hopefully this year this won't happen.